


Sunken Talons in Sallow Skin

by impravidus



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Court of Owls, Crack, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Humor, Hypothermia, M/M, Misunderstandings, POV Outsider, Past Brainwashing, Secret Identity, Secrets, i don't like YJ conner so this is very much comics conner
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29265051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impravidus/pseuds/impravidus
Summary: Even after nearly five years of freedom from the shackles of the Court of Owls, Dick Grayson still has to deal with the aftereffects of being a Talon. Will he be able to continue his ruse to keep up the semblance of normality or will his past come back to ruin the life he's built for himself?(A somewhat linear jumble of one-shots following Post Talon Dick Grayson.)
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Members of the Team (Young Justice), Dick Grayson/Wally West
Comments: 34
Kudos: 178





	1. Toss and Twirl

It starts like this.

Wally wakes up in the middle of the night to a growling stomach as he usually does.

Having a metabolism too fast for its own good means that he has to interrupt his glorious slumber with midnight meals so that he doesn’t become malnourished.

Yeah. It’s annoying.

Wally’s at Mount Justice for the night and he is ready for a stack of various sandwiches and a bag of Chex mix when he sees Dick in the kitchen.

Even with the lights completely off, he still wears his sunglasses. In one hand is the book that Dick had been complaining about for the last few days, the one for his rhetorical analysis essay that is “incruciatingly dull.” In the other hand is… a knife?

Dick tosses and twirls it mindlessly, obviously ingrained into his muscle memory. The way his spindly fingers dance and flit, moving deftly and gracefully as the knife spins in the air, is mesmerizing.

Despite the intricate movement, his face is bored as he reads his book.

When he’s not flipping the knife, he’s slashing the air, his muscles flexing as he swipes and _oh Gods, that’s really hot, this shouldn’t be this hot._

“Hey, Rob,” Wally says softly.

A knife flies directly to his face and if he didn’t have super speed, it would’ve embedded itself directly into his skull.

“Woah!” Wally exclaims. “Just me!”

Dick’s eyes go wide in horror. He drops his book and rushes to him. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

Wally places a hand on his cheek. “I’m fine. See? Not even a scratch.”

Dick sighs, turning his head to place a kiss on Wally’s palm. “I’m still sorry.”

“Well, don’t be,” Wally says. “No reason to be. Okay?” Wally caresses his cheekbone with his thumb. “What are you doing up?”

“Can’t sleep,” Dick mutters.

“Maybe I can help with that,” Wally says.

Dick’s eyebrows shoot up. “Here? At Mount Justice? When Superboy is just down the hall?”

Wally’s cheeks flush. “Oh, no, I— I didn’t mean— I just meant—” His voice begins to rush into something incomprehensible.

“Walls, it’s okay,” Dick reassures.

“I just meant, maybe you’d want to cuddle?” Wally asks, voice still fast.

Dick’s breath hitches. 

“It’s totally okay if not—”

“No,” Dick interrupts. “I’d love that.”

“Oh,” Wally says. “Good.” 

They both stand in silence just staring at each other.

“Well, I’m gonna make some sandwiches. You wanna help?”

Dick nods. “Not sure if mine can be as good as Agent A’s, but I can certainly try.”

“I don’t think _anyone’s_ can be as good as Agent A’s. Us mere mortals can merely dream to reach those heights.”

Dick snorts. “Ham or turkey?”

Wally grins. “Who says I have to choose?”

After a tower of sandwiches, Dick and Wally crawl into Wally’s bed. 

Dick, the stubborn big spoon he is, is wrapped around Wally from behind, smiling into his shoulder blades.

Dick presses soft kisses to Wally’s shoulders, kissing up his neck, and nipping lightly at the spot right behind his earlobe.

“Dick,” Wally breathes. “Y-you said we shouldn’t—”

“I know,” Dick whispers, still peppering kisses to his neck. “Doesn’t mean I can’t still,” he sucks hard at the tender spot by his jaw, “take care of you.”

Wally shudders beneath his touch. 

Dick’s arm is tucked protectively over waist, his body shielding his back.

Wally rolls over and stares into Dick’s blue eyes. Wally’s eyes flicker to his lips before he slowly leans in, eyes fluttering shut.

Dick’s lips are cold. They always are. They’re almost ice cold on Wally’s and it just makes him want to do everything he can to warm them up.

It’s relaxed, unrushed, just the casual contact of lips on lips. Dick’s grip on Wally’s waist tightens, his fingers digging into his hip. 

They pull away, Wally’s eyes drooping so much that they can barely open again and body aching to go back to sleep.

“Sleepy?” Dick murmurs.

Wally hums in response, forehead falling in the crook of Dick’s neck. “How’d you learn to do that?”

“Do what?” Dick asks.

“The knife thing. The… tossy toss thing.” Dick tenses and Wally is suddenly very awake. “Dick?”

“It…” The words trail off. “I learned it from before. Before… before Batman.”

“Like the circus?” Wally perks up. “Do you know how to _juggle knives?_ Oh man, that’s so cool. I never thought about what other circus-y things you know how to do. _Do you know how to ride an elephant?”_

“I have ridden an elephant,” Dick says with a chuckle.

Wally gasps. “Oh. My. Gods. That is _so_ cool!”

Dick laughs softly and kisses Wally on the forehead. “Get some sleep, Dragul meu.”

Wally sighs. “You’re gonna have to juggle some knives for me. You’ll… be a bad boyfriend if you deprive me of awesome knife juggling.”

Dick snorts. “Whatever you say.”

As Wally drifts to sleep, Dick stares at the ceiling, preparing for another sleepless night. He tightens his embrace, the need to keep Wally safe overwhelming him and giving him something to focus on.

The phantom feeling of the knife lingers and he itches to have it again.


	2. Pasta and Painless

The Young Justice team is having their usual team bonding night and as per usual, it is chaos.

Conner and Artemis are having a heated debate over the rules of the Draw 4 card in Uno, M’gann and Zatanna are having an intense game of Twister, Kaldur is quietly waiting for his turn in Uno and spinning the wheel for the Twister game, and Wally and Dick are in the kitchen preparing dinner.

“And then you gotta add the garlic,” Dick tells Wally.

“Garlic. Got it.” Wally dumps the pre-chopped garlic into the meat mix. “You’re right. Getting everything ready before really saves a lot of time.”

“Mise en place,” Dick says with a shrug. “Agent A is an advocate for the art.”

Wally chuckles. “Well, I think I’m gonna become an advocate too.”

Dick goes to check on the tomato sauce. “I am  _ so _ glad they agreed to spaghetti and meatballs.”

“Who wouldn’t agree to pasta? Especially when there’s gonna be garlic bread? Our breaths may be rancid after this, but man is it worth it for the carbs.”

“Don’t expect any kisses tonight,” Dick says with a playful smirk.

Wally dramatically drapes himself against the fridge, a hand pressed to his forehead. “Oh, woe is me! What ever will I do?” He grins. “I suppose I will just have to make up for it by getting as many kisses before dinner as I can.”

Dick rolls his eyes and loops his hand around Wally’s waist, pulling him in for a soft kiss. “That’s all you’re getting. I have to cook.”

Wally pouts.

“And so do you! Meatballs won’t roll themselves.”

Wally whines. “Fine. If I have to.”

Dick presses a kiss to Wally’s forehead. “Now. Start mixing.”

The two shuffle around the kitchen, falling into a comfortable silence as they cook.

Wally drops the final meatball onto the tray. “Okay, this is nice and all, but can we  _ please _ get some jams? I will literally lose my mind if I have to be alone with my thoughts for another second.”

Dick laughs. “What’re you in the mood for?”

Wally hums as he thinks. “I think I need… Lady Gaga.”

Dick rolls his eyes. “Barry get you hooked on it again?”

“It’s just so catchy!”

Dick pulls out his phone, but it slips out of his hand and drops into the pot of pasta. “Shoot! Grab the rice!”

Wally, eyes going wide, rushes to the utensil drawer. “Darn it, where are the tongs?” Wally turns to ask Dick where the tongs are when he freezes.

Dick, not even wincing, has his hand in the pot of boiling water.

“What are you  _ doing?!” _ Wally cries.

“Oh! Got it!” Dick says. He pulls out the phone. “C’mon, Walls. Rice.”

“You— but you— and— but—  _ huh?!” _

Wally can’t see Dick’s arm, but his sweater sleeve is soaked in  _ boiling water _ , and his hand is bright pink and slightly blistered.

“Oh my Gods, Rob, we have to— we’ve gotta— you just—”

“What?” Dick asks, confused.

“You just stuck your hand into the pot!”

Dick’s eyebrows furrow. “Yeah. And?”

“You can’t just  _ do _ that! You need your hands. They’re, like,  _ crucial _ to what you do. How are you not—”

“Wally,” Dick says, voice firm. “I’m fine.”

“But you shouldn’t be!” Wally exclaims, voice tinged with hysterical disbelief. “Why did you do that?”

“Because my phone fell in?” Dick replies, confused.

“And it didn’t hurt,” Wally says.

“Was it… supposed to?” Dick questions.

“Was it—” Wally snaps his mouth shut, unable to process his words. “It didn’t hurt,” Wally repeats.

“It… must’ve been the adrenaline,” Dick says.

“Which means it’ll wear off and hurt, Rob. We have to get you to the medical bay—”

“No!” Dick interrupts. “I mean, I’ll go… take care of it. I have… aloe? In my first aid kit in my room. I’ll… run it under… cold? water.” Dick backs away to the door. “The pasta should be done in two minutes. The sauce just needs to simmer. Uh, brown the meatballs and let them steam in the oven for twenty minutes.” 

“Rob,” Wally says, trying to follow.

“Brown the meatballs!” Dick calls over his shoulder before he scurries to his room.

Dick pulls off his sweater and looks at his arm that is slowly healing itself. He looks at it with a frown. He then looks at his phone, screen black and metal hot on his fingers.

“Note to self,” Dick mumbles to himself, “boiling water hurts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [official-impravidus](https://official-impravidus.tumblr.com/)


	3. Uncharmed

She’s said it before and she’ll say it a million times.

Artemis Crock. Hates. Magicians.

Okay, maybe not all magicians. Zatanna’s cool and so’s Captain Marvel (who… she isn’t sure really counts as a magician? He’s more made of magic itself? Whatever.) but evil magicians? Who she has to face with her  _ bow and arrow? _ Yeah. No. That sucks.

Zatanna charmed her arrows to work against the magical floating orbs that the evil magician was making which trapped people inside of their evil bubbliness and can only be released by magical arrows. 

Superboy and Miss Martian are on catching duty, bringing the trapped civilians to the ground after being freed from their orb prisons (that are unfortunately filled with slime and getting  _ everywhere) _ , Zatanna, Aqualad, and Kid Flash are fighting the evil magician herself, and Robin is trying to figure out how to disable her magic bomb.

They still aren’t sure what it does but they _ really _ don’t want to find out.

“The timer’s at one minute, guys!” Robin calls.

“You’re too late!” the evil magician gloats. “Soon, your magic will be null. Magic has failed me and soon it will fail you!”

“What does that mean?” Zatanna demands.

“It means that once that goes off, your magic will go ‘poof!’ Bye bye magic!” She cackles. 

“That means your magic will be gone!” Kid Flash says.

“That’s the point!” she roars. “Magic has ruined me! It has taken everything from me! It has sunk its claws into my life and ripped it apart and forced me to follow in its footsteps! The world is better without magic!  _ I  _ am better without magic!”

“Thirty seconds!” Robin yells.

“What is its radius?” Zatanna questions. “How many will be affected by this?”

“Not far,” the evil magician grins. “Just far enough to hit all of your little team. It’ll take away any and all magic.”

“I’m the only magic user!” Zatanna says.

“But you’re not the only one with magic.” She smirks. “Oopsie. You’ve run out of time!” She snaps.

“It just went down to ten seconds!” Robin exclaims, scrambling to turn it off. 

Realizing what he has to do, he gives the team an apologetic look before grappling to the nearest roof and curling his body over the magic bomb, trapping under his body and his cape.

There’s a blast and Robin’s body jolts.

“No!” the evil magician screeches. “How did you absorb its magic?!”

Robin stumbles up. “It’s all in the cape!” he says with a weak smile, still wobbling in his spot.

Kid Flash speeds up to the roof and steadies Robin.

Zatanna turns to the evil magician. “We can help you get rid of your magic,” Zatanna says. “You can have a life without it.”

“I can’t escape it!” the evil magician sobs.

“You can,” Zatanna says softly. “Let us help you.”

“Even after all I’ve done? You’d still help me?” she asks meekly.

“That’s what we do,” Zatanna says with a smile.

On the top of the building, Kid Flash holds a swaying Robin. He murmurs something in his ear and picks him up bridal style, running him back to the ground.

“You alright, Robin?” Aqualad asks. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Robin replies. “Whatever it was, it didn’t do anything to me.”

“Good,” Aqualad says.

Artemis claps. “Now. Let’s clean this shit up and get some tacos because we  _ earned _ it.”

“Oh, I can do that,” the not-as-evil-as-she-first-thought magician says. She waves her hand and the goo disappears. 

“You guys go without me. I have to take her to the League,” Zatanna says.

“Are you sure, Zatanna?” Aqualad asks.

“I’ll be there. Promise,” Zatanna says. “Superboy, do you know my order?”

“It’s very hard not to after what happened last time!” Superboy replies.

“That’s what you get for ordering it with pickled radish!”

“How was I supposed to know you didn’t like pickled radish?!”

“Why does  _ anyone _ like pickled radish? Why is that even an  _ option?!” _

“Aaand that’s my cue,” Artemis says. “Rob, KF, you comin’ with?”

Kid Flash nods. “I need like  _ fourteen _ tacos.”

“Oddly specific,” Artemis says. “I respect that.”

“—cause I’m basically a well educated toddler in a teenager’s body?! I barely know what food  _ is!” _

“Superboy! Aqualad! Miss Martian! You comin’ or what?” Artemis yells.

“No. Pickled. Radish,” Zatanna says, enunciating each word.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Superboy mumbles.

The team enters Rojo Rodrigo’s and nearly collapse onto the squishy chairs at the tables the waiters pushed together for them.

“Hey, Rob, you feelin’ okay?” Kid Flash asks.

Robin’s brows furrow. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“You’re just lookin’ a little pale.”

“Huh,” Robin says. “Well, I feel fine. Maybe I’m just… hungry.”

“Then we better get some grub,” Artemis says.

The six young heroes, like the teenagers they are, pull out their phones and mindlessly scroll through social media while they sip at their drinks and wait for their food.

Zatanna’s face falls as she enters and catches sight of Robin. “Robin. Are you feeling unwell?”

The team’s eyes dart up. 

“Goodness,” Aqualad says. “Robin, why didn’t you tell us that the bomb wounded you?”

“It… didn’t?” Robin says, confused.

“Your face,” M’gann says, expression slightly horrified. “It’s ghastly pale.”

Robin’s eyes go wide. 

“She said it took magic away, not invoked magic,” Zatanna hisses under her breath.

“I… I don’t know what happened,” Robin says.

Kid Flash eyes Robin suspiciously, catching the hesitance and feigned bewilderment. 

“Really, it’s probably just exhaustion or something,” Robin reassures. “I’m probably hungry. Some good protein will help, I’m sure.”

The team tentatively lets it go, now keeping an eye out.

The tacos come and the team quickly fall into their usual banter.

“No, c’mon Meg, you can’t honestly be telling me that you actually think  _ The Amazing Spider-Man 2  _ is actually better than  _ Spider-Man 2.  _ It has Otto Octavius!” Kid Flash exclaims. “I mean,  _ The Amazing Spider-Man 2  _ is a disgrace to the Spider-Man name. The plot is messy and the villains are just— because I mean, who needs that many villains? And, I mean, I just,  _ how?!” _

“Andrew Garfield is just dreamy,” M’gann says with a shrug.

“Seconded,” Robin says.

Kid Flash turns to refute his boyfriend when he freezes. “Oh shit.”

Robin’s head tilts curiously. ‘What?”

Zatanna looks over and gasps softly. “Your veins. They’re… black.”

Robin stills. “It must be the lighting…”

Kid Flash grabs Robin’s chin and turns it to him. His breath hitches. “Rob. That bomb… it must’ve…”

“We should never have trusted her,” Artemis hisses. “She must’ve lied.”

“No!” Robin says quickly. “It… wow! How could I forget? Batman and I got caught up with a magic user in Gotham last week and they… poisoned me! Magic poison. And Z’s dad placed a charm on me to… to block the poison until we… find an… antidote.” Robin nods. “Yup. Yeah. So, uh, we gotta get back to the League ASAP.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Aqualad says. “KF, you take Rob. Zatanna, call your dad. Tell him to get to Mount Justice immediately.”

“On it,” Zatanna says.

“Wanna hop on?” Kid Flash asks Robin, voice wavering with worry.

Robin climbs onto Kid Flash’s back and loops his arms to hold on. 

After a dizzying run, they’re in the medical bay. 

Wally lies Dick onto a bed and pets his hair gently. “You’re gonna be okay. Everything will be okay.”

“Wally…”

“No, don’t overwork yourself. Just rest. We’ll… Zatara will fix this.” Wally kisses Dick’s forehead.

Dick is about to protest when Zatara enters. 

“Robin,” he says, voice tight.

“Zatara,” Dick replies.

“I see my charm is gone,” Zatara says flatly.

“Can you fix him? Before…” Wally trails off.

“What did you tell them?” Zatara asks.

“I told them all about the magic poison from my mission with Batman last week. And how your charm is holding it off before we find the antidote.”

Zatara nods slowly. “...right. Well, I need the room. So, Kid Flash, if you could please…?”

Wally’s mouth drops to an ‘o.’ “Right. I can do that. I… Rob. You’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be fine, iubițel,” Dick says. 

‘I love you,’ Wally mouths.

Dick holds out his hand which Wally grabs. He squeezes it gently. “I. Will. Be. Fine. I promise.”

Wally reluctantly lets go and exits.

Dick sighs and sinks into the bed. 

“So. Magical poison?” Zatara questions.

“What was I supposed to tell them?” Dick groans.

“You did well,” Zatara says. “Quick thinking.”

“Is there a permanent magical block on me now? Can we not reinstall the charm?”

Zatara runs his hands over the air above Dick. “No. It seems to have just removed the existing magic, not preventing new.”

Dick lets out a breath of relief. “That’s… that’s great.”

“This was a close call,” Zatara says.

Dick closes his eyes. “Yeah. I know.”

“Are you sure you don’t—”

“No,” Dick says immediately. “Not even an option.”

Zatara purses his lips. “I see. I respect your decision. I’ll get started on the charm.”

“Thank you, Zatara. Really. Thank you.”

The next time Dick sees the team, his skin is a healthy, veinless peach and he has a toothy grin plastered on his pink lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dick cannot lie but thankfully the rest of the Young Justice league have one braincell and none of them have it currently.
> 
> If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [official-impravidus](https://official-impravidus.tumblr.com/)


	4. Frozen

Conner doesn’t like being in small spaces. It’s too much like being trapped in that tube.

But apparently, there’s someone who doesn’t like small spaces more than him.

Robin is good at hiding it, but Conner can hear his heart, and it’s going absolutely crazy.

His face is a passive calm and he is murmuring soft reassurances to Conner to calm him down. He’s guiding him through steady breathing, though if that’s for Conner or for him, he can’t tell.

The two are currently trapped inside of a red sun lit freezer filled with, yup, severed alien carcasses.

Yeah. It’s taking a lot for Conner not to throw up.

Conner doesn’t know what’s more unsettling, the severed bodies themselves or Robin’s lack of reaction to them. In fact, he’s so unbothered by it that Conner is starting to question what sort of stuff him and Batman get up to.

It’s very hard to do deep breath exercises when all his enhanced sense of smell can register is the smell of  _ disgusting, coppery, ugh gross— _

But he does manage to settle his breathing.

Robin really isn’t looking good. He’s really pale and his heartbeat is slowing down.

Is that a thing that humans’ hearts do? Conner is still trying to figure out human anatomy.

“We should keep talking,” Robin says, his voice slightly slurred. “Help us stay… awake.”

“I feel plenty awake,” Conner says. “Are _ you _ okay?”

“Mhm,” Robin says, head lolling forward slightly. “I’m totally trocious.” 

“Robin,” Conner says, voice urgent with concern. “You said we should keep talking? Will that help?”

Robin nods, more like a bobble head than himself. “It won’t… work forever. But it’ll… buy time.”

Robin isn’t shivering. Aren’t humans supposed to shiver when they’re cold? To maintain homeostasis?

Robin blinks slowly. He licks his lips and takes in a slow breath.

“So, you and KF, huh?” Conner asks.

“Whadya,” he swallows, “whatdya mean?”

“You two aren’t as subtle as you think you are,” Conner says with a forced chuckle. “Plus.” He points to his ears.

“Thatsa violation of pr’vcy,” Robin huffs. 

“Still don’t really know how to turn it off,” Conner says, guilty and apologetic.

“He makes me…” Robin pauses for far too long for comfort. “He makes me… happy. And I dunno if I make him happy, but he makes me really happy. I… really like him.”

“That’s good,” Conner says. “Tell me about what makes you happy.”

_ “Him,”  _ Robin says emphatically. “His goodness and kindness. The way his eyes…  _ sparkle _ and the way his lips just, just…” he blinks slowly. “His  _ smile. _ It’s… it’s everything.  _ He’s _ everything.” Robin’s chest is barely rising as he takes in a long breath. “I know you… you’re still trying to find your place. But you deserve… you deserve to find your happiness too. It’s hard. Existing. But you’ll figure out. I know you will. You’ll find you. You’ll find your place.”

“Thanks, Robin,” Conner says, the words almost stuck in his throat.

“You’ll figure this out. I know you will. And you’ll figure  _ this  _ out. We’ll… be…” His eyes shut and his body goes limp.

“Robin?” Conner says, dread pooling in his gut. “Robin!” He repeats, rushing to his side.

Conner pulls Robin into his lap and wraps his arms around him, trying to transfer as much heat as he can, but Robin doesn’t wake.

_ C’mon, guys. _

It takes a long seven minutes before the team finally breaks them out and Conner knows the ashen horror on Wally’s face will stick in his mind for weeks to come.

“Robin,” Wally whispers, collapsing to his knees in front of Robin. He places a shaky hand to his cheek. “You haven’t… it hasn’t been… how is he…”

“I don’t know,” Conner admits. “But we have to get him back. We need to get him help.”

Wally gulps. “R-right.”

“Do you think you can take him?” Conner motions to the red sun lights.

It’s only then that Wally fully comprehends the room they’ve been trapped in. “I-I can take him. I… yeah.”

Wally scoops Dick into his arms and starts running, shoving down his emotions as he focuses on keeping Dick safe.

“Someone! Help!” Wally calls as he enters the medical bay.

Diana comes rushing in. “Kid Flash? What’s—” she freezes. “Robin.”

“Please. He… I think he went into hypothermic shock or something? I-I don’t know what to do.”

“Bring him to a bed,” Diana tells Wally. 

Quickly but gently, he lies Dick on the bed.

Diana places two fingers on his neck and her face crumbles. “I’m not feeling a pulse.”

Wally gasps. Or maybe he sobs. Probably both.

“We need blankets,” she says, voice tinged with panic. “Do you think you can—”

In less than a millisecond, he has a pile of the warmest blankets from the recreation room. 

“We gotta wrap him up. See if we can— if we—” She takes in a slow, shuddering breath. “Let’s just warm him up.”

The two carefully bundle him up in thick layers, Wally’s hands trembling violently the longer he looks at Dick’s slack, unmoving face. 

Wally sits by his side, his hands clasped above his blanket covered chest that isn’t rising and falling.

_ He isn’t breathing. _

Wally doesn’t hide the fact he’s crying. He just sits there, tears streaming down his face as he gasps for air.

Bruce comes in soon and he doesn’t look nearly as distraught as he would expect he would be feeling.

But, well, the bats are known for hiding their feelings.

Bruce takes a seat on the other side of Dick and cups his face.

“He’ll be okay,” Bruce murmurs.

“He’s n-not breathing,” Wally hiccups.

“It’s shallow but it’s there,” Bruce says. “Have faith.”

Wally nods and bites his lip to stop a sob.

“Wally?” Bruce says. “You had a long mission today. How about you go get cleaned up?”

“But—”

“He’ll be fine,” Bruce says, tense. “He will be here when you get back. In fact, I’m sure he’ll be vastly improved.”

“Mr. Wayne—”

“Go,” he says, voice indicating that he is leaving no room for debate. “And take your time. You need to slow down.”

“O-okay,” Wally says before slowly walking to his bedroom.

He cries his entire shower and he cries when he dries off and he cries when he gets dressed in sweats and Dick’s hoodie. He wipes his eyes with the sleeves while he returns to the medical bay and freezes when he sees Dick grinning and chatting with Bruce while sipping from a steaming mug, though more sluggish than usual. 

“Hey dude,” Dick greets, lips in a lopsided smile. “See you took my favorite hoodie.”

“Dick!” Wally exclaims, running to his side.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Dick says softly.

“I-I thought you were—” Wally says, but his voice cuts out.

“Hey,” Dick says firmly. He takes Wally’s cheek in his hand. “I’m alright. I’m here.”

“But y-your heart—”

“Was just slow from the hypothermia,” Dick says. “It’s all good.”

“It’s not  _ all good—” _ Wally says with a huff.

“C’mon. Sit down with me. Drink some cocoa.” He pats the side of the bed next to him.

Wally climbs next to him and buries his face in his chest. “Don’t you _ ever _ do that again,” he mumbles.

“I’ll try my best,” Dick says, kissing his hair. “Now, d’you want the gusting kind with the cinnamon and whipped cream or the boring kind with just marshmallows?”

“Is that even a question?” Wally asks, voice muffled.

Dick laughs and it’s the best sound Wally’s ever heard. “Gusting it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [official-impravidus](https://official-impravidus.tumblr.com/)


End file.
